The number of major cyber incidents are increasing, according to the latest NCSC report. In the eight months since inception, the UK’s National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) has recorded 480 major cyber incidents requiring its attention. Javvad Malik, Security Advocate at AlienVault commented below.
Javvad Malik, Security Advocate at AlienVault:
“Organisations do need to cover security fundamentals to ensure they can protect themselves against common attacks. This is important for companies of all sizes that span across all verticals. Attacks are often indiscriminate; in that a vulnerable server, or piece of code, looks just like a vulnerable server, or piece of code. There is little to no regard as to the criticality of the system, whether it be a financial server, life support machine, or local florist. We saw with WannaCry, the worm spread to whichever systems it could compromise, and as a result the NHS was severely impacted.
If we look at the macro economics, the attackers are currently at an advantage. There are many online marketplaces, where even non-technical criminals can procure technical skills to undertake attacks. There is also an increase in the number of ‘cyber crime’-as-a-service offerings, such as ransomware, which makes attacks a lot easier for a larger number. Finally, the rise of cryptocurrency such as bitcoin has made it very easy for criminals to extort money anonymously as well as cybercriminals to make secure exchanges.”
